Adventures in Trash

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New York is a city of stuff. Nowhere is the sidewalk picking as good for the spare chair, the fur coat or perhaps even the first edition of a James Joyce novel.

Those whose mantra is “collect because it’s there,” will pick through sewage sludge and landfill and slit open those black bags in hopes of treasure. They know people think they’re crazy, but they don’t care. They are the canners, the coin shooters, and collectors who know it’s worth it. The writer Ted Botha has patched together a trashy tale of these New York City characters who poke and pick and squirrel away what’s called “mongo.”

Guests:

Ted Botha, author of “Mongo: Adventures in Trash”